


The Snail & The Porcupine

by chenah3h3



Series: Akira (Manga - AU) [1]
Category: Akira (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, kinda also wanna tag this as one-side kaori/tetsuo, one sided on tetsuo's part anyway but idk how well i conveyed that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:35:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28589655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenah3h3/pseuds/chenah3h3
Summary: The Great Tokyo Empire is in a crisis in the minutes leading up to one of their demonstrations. Akira is not complying, and Kaori is tasked with figuring out why.At night, Kaori and Tetsuo have a chat. Tetsuo tries to ruin her evening; his plan backfires.
Relationships: Akira & Kaori (Akira), Kaori & Shima Tetsuo
Series: Akira (Manga - AU) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109189
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	The Snail & The Porcupine

**Author's Note:**

> ***Content warnings: I know I tagged this as Character Death, but I'm bringing it up again just in case. Also: mentions of drug and alcohol use. 
> 
> This fic follows the manga continuity. Because I'm writing this, and I wanna be self-indulgent, this is an AU where Kaori's intro to the cult is tweaked just a little. She's brought on solely to be one of Akira's caretakers. This fic highlights the moment where she would be cemented as, like, his primary caregiver.

It was late in the morning; the sun was beating down with no remorse. Kaori walked down a hall with the master’s aide and a few other members from the Empire. She had never seen the place in such a commotion. From what she overheard, they were preparing for a demonstration. While part of her was intrigued, another part of her sensed something in the air. Things weren’t quite right; the atmosphere was far too hectic for what was supposed to be a joyous occasion. 

As the group neared the masters’ quarters, Kaori spotted Tetsuo by the curtains that led to the throne. The lord paced frantically back and forth; he gnawed on one of his thumbnails obsessively. 

“You,” the aide said in a distinct, derisive tone which he reserved for Kaori. “What’s the hold up? Go see Lord Akira! Show starts in half an hour,” he warned, “so don’t dawdle.” 

Without exchanging eye contact, Kaori nodded and wandered over to the ladder. She’d been told the boy was in an abnormal state. He refused to eat anything, and now Tetsuo complained that he wasn’t cooperating. After running through their gamut of caretakers, Kaori was summoned to address the problem. She couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. While Lord Akira didn’t behave like most children - who  _ would _ in these circumstances, she thought - Kaori felt it was strange that no one else knew how to engage him. Upon reaching the second floor, the girl took a deep breath and walked to the terrace. 

As soon as she parted the curtains, the feeling Kaori sensed earlier intensified. Although there was no wind blowing, a chill ran down her spine. Curiously enough, the noise from below grew faint as though it were occurring someplace miles away. Kaori found the boy seated at the edge of the terrace. Usually, he’d sit there to play with rocks, arranging them mid-air into intricate shapes. This time, she saw no rock formations. 

“Akira?” Kaori called, though she knew better than to expect a response. She developed a habit of announcing her presence as a courtesy to the boy. She took delicate steps as she got closer. The tension in the air eased once she sat down beside him. It still wasn’t great, but Kaori remained optimistic. “You know,” she said, “A little birdy came and sat on my shoulder. It asked me to come see you. Is everything ok?”

As usual, she was rewarded with silence. Unsure of what to say next, Kaori studied the boy’s face. Her eyes widened when she noticed tear streaks that went down to his chin. She was taken aback; the boy was always so reserved. The thought of him expressing any emotion to that degree seemed out of the question. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Kaori asked tenderly. “Why were you crying?” 

Akira rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Kaori was about to warn him against that when she was struck with an idea. She got up and headed for the table. “Don’t worry,” she assured him, “I’ll be right back.” 

Kaori recalled that she’d gotten Akira into drawing. One day, she brought him an old sketchbook and a box of crayons. At first, he would watch her while she drew small cartoons of animals or flowers. Eventually, Akira grabbed a spare crayon and began making pictures of his own. Kaori thought his art looked abstract, but fascinating. She decorated the walls of his room with some of their pieces. The girl hoped that a brief drawing session would cheer him up. To her surprise, there were papers and crayons scattered across the table. It seemed that Akira was one step ahead of her. After examining the papers, Kaori realized he’d drawn the same thing over and over. Unlike his usual work, these drawings were simple to discern. 

There were four figures - one with black hair that resembled Akira’s; the others had either white or greyish hair. One was seated in a chair. Another sat on a bed. Three of the figures had broken hearts drawn on their chest. The fourth one had a halo above them. She saw red lines flying out from one side of their head. On the other side was a small circle. The jutting lines were mirrored on the heads of the other figures in different colors. As she put the pieces together, Kaori gasped in horror. She didn’t want to believe it. The girl took one page and returned to her seat. 

Eyes glued to the image, Kaori fought hard to compose herself. Without a clock or a watch, she wouldn’t know when her time ran out. “Akira,” Kaori said gravely, “A-are these...your friends?” She showed him the picture, pointing at each figure one-by-one. She watched the boy’s face carefully. Once her finger landed on the one with the halo, Akira’s eyes watered. 

“Oh no,” Kaori muttered, “I’m so sorry…” She put the paper, face down, behind her. In her heart, Kaori felt immense sadness.  _ Such an awful thing to go through at his age _ , she thought. The girl breathed slowly. Her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes. Kaori didn’t know what to do, but she was determined to help the boy navigate his grief. She took one of his hands and said, “Akira, I am your friend, and I am here for you. I promise you that every day, from now on, we’ll do lots of fun, happy things together. And if you ever want to cry? That’s alright. I’ll stay with you. I can hold your hand, we can hug, or we can sit here. Whatever you want to do you tell me, because... I  _ know _ how sad it can be when a friend dies. ” The two then sat together quietly for a long time. As the minutes passed, the anxiety in the air changed into something somber, yet peaceful. 

* * *

Five minutes. The demonstration was set to start in five minutes. It had been forever since the girl went up. Five minutes to go, and they _still_ hadn’t come down. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue for Tetsuo; he could pick up on Akira’s condition from anywhere. Ever since the kid awoke his aura felt inescapable. Like an omnipresent dial tone, it aggravated him. At least, up until now. In some twisted turn of fate the two somehow fell out of sync, and Tetsuo would rather risk a bullet between the eyes than a trip into Akira’s mind. Five minutes. From the moment he woke up, he knew this day wouldn’t be easy. Five minutes. He kept losing focus -the rabid screams from the crowd outside were so distracting. F i v e m i n u t e s. His hands shook fervidly. _Five. minutes_. _What_ _the hell was taking her so long_?

He couldn’t wait anymore. In a flash, Tetsuo moved to the second floor. He stood alone in Akira’s room. Every fiber of his being wanted to storm ahead, but his legs wouldn’t budge. The vibration in his hands got worse. To steady himself, Tetsuo closed his eyes and breathed deeply. At last, his hands stopped trembling. His face now inches from the curtain, he yanked it aside. Tetsuo’s eyes darted all around in search of the kid.

“There, there,” the voice of the girl caught his attention. Always sounding so sweet and kind... it pissed him off. How could she talk like that when she’d wasted so much time? Tetsuo couldn’t see them, so he stomped out into the open. He bypassed the table completely. Tetsuo was itching to snap, but he froze once he finally saw them. 

Akira and the girl were at his usual spot; they held each other tightly. The kid wrapped his small arms around the girl’s neck. Meanwhile, she softly patted his back and spoke in a hushed voice. “It’s ok. You’re safe here. No one’s going to hurt you.” She went from patting to making small circles with her fingertips. “You hear that? All those people came out to see you. That’ll be fun, right? When that’s over, we can get you something to eat. Then, maybe later we can go down to the water and play for a bit. What do you think?” 

Tetsuo was speechless. He didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t  _ this _ . With everything that’s happened, it was easy to forget that Akira was a kid. Then again, he was also a catatonic freak of modern science. That didn’t help. Still, Tetsuo couldn’t deny the feeling of...something stirring within him while he witnessed this. It was weird. Like a great relief and a huge disturbance all at once. His ambivalence was amplified when the little creep locked eyes with him. Tetsuo curled hands into fists.  _ What was he trying to pull _ ? 

The two psychics eyed each other. Then, it clicked. Finally, the two were back in sync. The kid slowly let go. The girl pulled back in turn. “Are you ready?” she asked. Tetsuo could tell from the lilt in her voice that she was smiling. As Akira rose to his feet she said, “Remember what I told you, ok?”

“It’s about time,” Tetsuo griped. 

The girl, who had her back to him, was startled. Under her breath, she muttered, “...Yeah.”

“Let’s go.” Before she could grab the kid’s hand, the two vanished into thin air. 

* * *

Nighttime. The moon was in its third-quarter phase. The wind howled between the cracks in the walls of Akira’s chamber. Kaori made sure to tuck him in so the cold wouldn’t bother him throughout the night. After the frenzy that was the Empire’s assembly, Kaori watched over the boy for the remainder of the day. She fed him, helped him collect rocks by the shore. At bedtime, she told him a story- one of her father’s favorites. By the time she got to the end, Akira was fast asleep.

Very quietly, Kaori slipped out of the bed and went down the ladder. With the last of her chores completed, she had some time to herself. She decided to sit on the steps and relax.

As soon as she got there, she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. About halfway down, accompanied by several bottles of beer, was Tetsuo. From her view, it was difficult to say how many bottles he’d drank and how many he had yet to open. Regardless, there were far too many for the average person to consume. 

She stayed put for as long she could. “Kaori!” Tetsuo shouted while he stared at the ocean. “Come here.”

The girl sighed. With each step, her soles felt more and more like lead. Kaori opted to sit away from his collection. While seated, she drew her legs close to her chest. “Yes, Master Tetsuo?” 

He took another drink. “Some day. That was your first one, wasn’t it?”

Kaori nodded. 

“And to just think,” Tetsuo stopped to watch the beer in his bottle slosh around, “We were  _ this _ close to a total disaster.” After a long pause, he asked, “Want one?”

Kaori shook her head. “No.” With great trepidation, she warned, “Isn’t that dangerous? Mixing things.”

“Alcohol’s not a drug.”

“Sure, but mixing drugs and alcohol...”

“Everybody drinks,” Tetsuo groaned. “Well, except you.” 

Another round of silence. Kaori tried her best to ignore the goosebumps on her skin. 

Out of the blue, in a sardonically provocative tone he asked, “Have you ever  _ killed _ anybody?”

Kaori felt too unnerved to answer. 

Tetsuo glared at her with shrewd eyes. “I bet your father has,” he teased. “What did you say he was again?”

“Retired,” Kaori mumbled. “He served in the army - a medic - after the war ended.”  
“As if that makes it any different,” he retorted. 

Uncomfortable with looking at him directly, Kaori peered at Tetsuo from the corner of her eye. He had a crude smile on his face. He reached for another bottle. In an effort to fill the dead air, Kaori probed her mind for a new topic. What came to her was only marginally better. “Can we talk about Akira?”

Tetsuo rolled his eyes. Mockingly, he replied,“Ok, let’s talk about Akira.”

“Um,” she stammered. “Do you know why he cried today?”

No answer. Kaori took another look. The smug arrogance had disappeared. In its place was latent distress. 

“You two are so close. You must’ve known, right?” It was Tetsuo’s turn to look away. Even though the voice in her head warned against pressing further, Kaori continued. “He had a friend. A friend that died. I think-I think something terrible happened. I’m not sure,” She paused to allow the tightness in her stomach to calm down. “Did-did he try telling you about it?”

The break in conversation felt like it could last forever. Tetsuo had stopped drinking. Instead, he idly rolled the bottle’s neck between his thumb and index finger. Finally, he said, “I just remembered something my mom used to say to me. She’d say that people try to be good. The truth is they’re all really just sick and rotten. And each time you try to make the world a better place, this  _ thing _ \- it comes out and pulls you back down. It drags you deeper and deeper until you’re so far down that you can’t even remember what the light looked like.” 

Kaori winced at every other word. In spite of how much it hurt to listen, she couldn’t run away. It was hard to say, but she felt compelled to offer him a different perspective. Another way to face the darkness. Timidly, she started, “My papa, he’d tell me about the people he met while he was in service. What they were like. A lot of them were nice. But there were other people. He’d say they were hurting, but not from bruises or bullet wounds. Their hurt was different. These people, they go out in search of others. Once they find someone, they try everything. To tempt them, break them, corrupt them, make them do all sorts of horrible, degrading things. He said the reason they do this is because that’s how they felt about themselves. He’d tell me that when people are afraid of their own pain, they draw it out from those around them.” All this talk made Kaori wonder how many days had passed since she last saw him. 

The sound of a bottle crashing on the floor broke her train of thought. Kaori turned her head. Tetsuo, now sobbing, had let the bottle slip out of his hand. He hid his face with the crook of his elbow. His breathing became sporadic. In between gasps, she heard him say, “He’s gone. They’re all gone...it’s just me now.” 

Kaori looked on with a mixture of sympathy and apprehension. She shifted her gaze to the glass shards that lay near his feet. Slowly, she rose up to go search for a broom and a scoop. She stopped once she felt the cold touch of steel on her wrist. His grip - if it could be called that - was fragile and weightless. His fingers tenuously grazed her skin. “Kaori,” he whimpered. 

Without a word, the girl yielded. She sat down and took hold of his hand. She placed her other hand above his and rubbed his knuckles with her thumb. Her voice, though meager, carried with it a soothing warmth. “Ok. I’m here.” 

Tetsuo wept. Every now and again he would squeeze her hand - firmly, but not too tight. At some point, he mumbled an apology to her. When it was over, a stillness followed. Unlike before, this one was more poignant. With his free hand, Tetsuo pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s late,” he remarked.

“Yeah.”

“You should go to sleep.” 

Kaori hesitated. Given his current state, she didn’t think it was right to leave him alone. She checked for the broken glass. Mysteriously, the shards were gone. She looked down at their hands; he’d laced his fingers in between hers. Graciously, she asked, “Are you going to be alri-”

“ _ Go. _ ” His voice was benign, but insistent. 

“Ok,” she said in resignation. Before she left, Kaori pressed their palms together. “Good night, Tetsuo.”

As she walked away, he shoved his mechanical hand into his pocket. A small sigh escaped as he whispered, “Good night, Kaori.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> After I finished the manga, this idea kept floating around in my head. I took inspiration from a number of places. For the first part, I was inspired by two things - first, that one panel of Akira's face at the end of Vol 3. I wanted to try working out how Akira might communicate with other characters, and what it would look like if he had a moment (and enough personality) to mourn over Takashi. The second thing that inspired that scene was Kaori's & Akira's interactions in the manga. I found a lot of their moments to be really sweet - like an older sister caring for a younger brother. So, I tried to depict that. 
> 
> For the scene with Tetsuo & Kaori, I remixed the scene from Season 1 of Twin Peaks between Dr Jacoby and Bobby Briggs. I chose that scene partially because of Twin Perfect's analysis video. In that video, he uses this scene as an example of Dr. Jacoby's ability to see the characters of Twin Peaks as 3-dimensional people rather than just their soap opera-esque archetypes. When I thought possible character development for Kaori, I wondered if that could be her strength. Because, most people in the story treat Akira & Tetsuo as either idols or dangerous threats. With this fic, I tried to capture the idea of Kaori being the person in the Empire who could see through all the zealousness and the powers into who they really are as people.


End file.
